Paul Singer joins Maine marriage fight

By Alexander Burns

07/24/12 04:20 PM EDT

Hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer is both one of the GOP's major super PAC donors and also one of the chief benefactors of the national push to legalize same-sex marriage. He played a critical role in passing a gay marriage law in New York State, formed a super PAC to back Republicans supportive of same-sex unions and now the Portland Press-Herald reports Singer has opened his checkbook for a November referendum on gay marriage in Maine:

The latest campaign finance reports for political action committees participating in the same-sex marriage referendum are due tonight at midnight, but one at least one pro-marriage equality PAC has filed early.

The report features a big-time national donor: Paul Singer.

Singer's $150,000 donation to the Freedom to Marry PAC was noted in Monday's story about Republican politicians who have decided to join the effort to legalize same-sex effort in Maine. However, the billionaire hedge fund manager's involvement in the Maine effort is noteworthy for a few reasons.

Singer is perhaps best known for his support of Republican candidates. A recent New York Times story noted that Singer, who runs the firm Elliott Management in New York City, raised $5 million dollars for presidential hopeful Mitt Romney during a single fundraiser.

As Maggie and Emily have written, Singer is emblematic of the shifting balance of power in the conservative coalition, toward a socially progressive financial elite that has a markedly different set of values on certain issues than the traditional GOP base.